Hello everybody, and welcome in to episode 83 of the Bible 2021 podcast. We are reading 2nd Samuel 6 today and our focus is on What God delights in and what makes God angry. We are a daily 10 minute podcast, where we will dig in to the truth of the Word of God by reading one Bible chapter a day and discussing it. Welcome to new listeners in Jawa Tengah, Indonesia, Porto, Portugal, Parts unknown Russia and Ireland and Spain, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Thanks for listening! Our goal is to encourage DAILY Bible reading, so you can jump in at any time and join with us. We want to invite as many people as possible to join us in daily Bible reading, so help spread the word and share the podcast Don’t forget about our web-page, Bible2021.com – contact page, show notes, transcript and more– Click here for our Bible 2021 reading plan

This podcast began once upon a time as the Bible Mystery Podcast in 2019, morphed into the Bible Questions podcast, in 2020 became a daily 25-35 minute show called the Bible Reading podcast, and now exists as a 10ish minute Bible 2021 podcast. Last year we read four Bible chapters a day, and read through the whole Bible in a year, plus the New Testament twice and Psalms twice. This year, there is much less Bible reading on the pod, so I decided to do extra Bible listening for my own spiritual growth, and have been listening to the Old Testament via my Bible from Audible. I started the year in the book of John, and went through the New Testament, and then got to Genesis 1. Over February and March, I’ve gone through Genesis-Numbers, and one thing has struck me again and again. In terms of things that make God angry, grumbling and complaining seems to be surprisingly high on the list. Over and over again, the Israelites grumble against Moses and against God, and over and over again, terrible judgments come. Most of us wouldn’t rank grumbling and complaining super high on the list of the worst sins ever, but just reading through the Old Testament, particularly Exodus-Numbers, you really see how bad grumbling is in God’s eyes. It’s like the utter opposite of thanksgiving – the attitude we are supposed to have when entering into the presence of God. Seen in that light, it might help us to better understand the danger of grumbling against God. It’s the opposite of thankfulness, and it also contains an air of arrogance to it – a certain, “I would handle this whole situation so much better if I was in charge.” We must guard our hearts, brothers and sisters, against grumbling.

On a more positive note, we should ask what sorts of things God delights in? Here are some verses with examples:

Psalm 147:10-11
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Proverbs 12:22

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

Isaiah 42:1

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.

The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, Deuteronomy 30:9

but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. Micah 7:18

So this is a partial list of actions and traits that God delights in. In the last two verses, we see that He particularly delights in steadfast love – in lovingkindness, or wholehearted covenant love. I think in our passage today we will see a good example of this kind of delight that God has in wholehearted love, and in King David, we will see a person who exemplifies this kind of love.

One of my favorite Old Testament chapters. I’ve often marveled at God’s testimony about David. Even though David was a cold-blooded murderer and adulterer, and there is no excuse for such behavior, nevertheless, God’s testimony about David is strong:

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Acts 13:22

Considering the horror of what David did, this is a staggering testimony. Lest you think David got off easy, however, please do go back and read of his deep repentance, and the terrible price that he paid for his sin. And yet, God’s ending testimony about David is positive. How could that be possible? #1 – As we already read, God delights in showing mercy and grace. #2 David was a person of wholehearted love to God for the vast majority of his life. He loved God passionately and deeply, as we saw in today’s reading. Such love obviously carries great weight in the sight of God. I am not at all saying that you can sin greatly and get away with it if you love God. (again, read about the terrible consequences suffered by David. He lost TWO children, lost his wife, lost his kingdom, and suffered greatly) but I am saying that God seems to cherish and delight in wholehearted, unrestrained and passionate love from His people. (And, with Michal as another example…seems to be very much against criticism, grumbling and complaining)

 

End of the Show: Bible memory verse for March: Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore, [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

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